A voice is crying out:“Clear the Lord’s way in the desert! Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God!Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be flattened. Uneven ground will become level, and rough terrain a valley plain.The Lord’s glory will appear, and all humanity will see it together; the Lord’s mouth has commanded it.”Isaiah 40:3-5

I drove down the newly constructed road, knowing it would cut at least five minutes from my trip. It wasn’t even rush hour. During rush hour, it was really cutting ten to fifteen minutes out of my commute. I marveled at how straight and smooth my drive was. The contractors had built the road through forest and swamp. Hills had to be vanquished, and valleys had to be filled. When you consider highway construction, it really is a technological marvel.

When we think about peace, we often consider how X marks the spot. We are focused on the result. The finished highway in the wilderness. We don’t consider all the steps to get to peace. Those steps are usually anything but peaceful. Dynamite displaces tons of earth and rock. Bulldozers rip up trees. Boiling hot pavement is painted on the land. The conclusion might be a peaceful drive, but the process is anything but.

This is true for highways, and it’s true for peace in general. Finding peace is a dirty, hard-working mess. It’s blood, sweat and tears. Peace is work. Always was, and always will be. Remember that as you sing, “Peace on earth, goodwill towards all.” Peace is a process, and one we work towards every day.

---​God of love, hope, joy and peace. Help us find the moments where we should act in this world. Action, that will bring us closer to peace. Amen.

Rev. Melissa Fain was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with duel partnership between First Christian Church of Atlanta, and First Christian Church of Marietta. She has a BA in Music from Kennesaw State University and a Masters of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She is currently the senior minister at Fig Tree Christian. Melissa is the mother of two wonderful children, and wife to a great and supportive husband. In her spare time, she loves arts and crafts which includes making costumes from scratch, and knotted bracelets.She has used her continuing education to study new church plants and church redevelopment.